All lanes reopen on Delaware's I-495 bridge

Traffic flows over the reopened Interstate 495 bridge in Wilmington, Del., on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2014. All lanes were closed June 2, 2014. The southbound lanes reopened at the end of July.(Photo: William Bretzger, The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal)

WILMINGTON, Del. — As abruptly as they were shut down two months ago, remaining damaged lanes of Interstate-495 in Wilmington , Del., reopened to traffic Saturday afternoon, more than a week ahead of an already accelerated schedule.

Repair crews pushing a tilting, 4,800-foot set of northbound bridge spans back into position got the job done without incident, and Delaware officials opted to quickly open the important interstate highway system link.

Department of Transportation officials opted for an unceremonious reopening of the lanes between 12th Street and Terminal Avenue in mid-afternoon.

The decision came as a welcome relief to city neighborhoods and business owners who had to endure heavy traffic detoured off the highway, since it was closed June 2 because of unsafe tilting of the span over the Christina River.

Herman Holloway Jr., who lives in Wilmington, was surprised and delighted to learn of the reopening to the road to northbound traffic. Southbound lanes were reopened July 31.

"I say hallelujah, thank you Jesus," Holloway said. "It has been a nightmare."

Before the order to reopen, workers used sensors to monitor roadway stability while six heavy DelDOT trucks loaded with wet sand were driven onto the repaired spans at about 2:30 p.m., and then stopped mid-way.

"It passed with flying colors," said DelDOT Secretary Shailen Bhatt.

"I think what we have now is general relief," Bhatt said. "I think people were pretty excited when we got southbound open at the end of July, and we're hearing from people now who are really glad" to have the full roadway available.

“I say hallelujah, thank you Jesus. It has been a nightmare.”

Herman Holloway, Wilmington resident

The problem has been more than an inconvenience for Ed Osborne, who owns and operates Osborne's Auto Repair. It has been bad for business. His car repair shop requires road tests to determine what is wrong. Typically, Osborne would get to work at 6 a.m. to get started. But during the shutdown, even after one direction reopened, congestion was so bad he had to wait until 10 a.m. -- just to drive around the block.

"Thank God 495 is open," said Osborne.

Holloway, who lives in one of the communities that had become a popular detour route, said he fears some might have come to view it as a long-term end-run around traffic on the interstate.

"A lot of people think they have discovered an alternate route to work," he said.

Highway officials originally said they hoped to reopen the southbound lanes by Labor Day, with the northbound restoration happening in late September or early October.

Permanent repairs are still ahead, work that could push the total cost to $40 million. The final fixes could be complete by the end of the year, Bhatt said. Some closings could be required during that time, but will be scheduled during weekends or lighter traffic hours.

State officials ordered the entire, 90,000-vehicle-a-day highway shut down in east Wilmington on June 2, after passing motorists and a veteran engineer noticed travel lanes tilting along north and southbound approach spans immediately south of the Christina River.

“I think what we have now is general relief. ”

Shailen Bhatt, secretary Delaware Department of Transportation

Monster backups developed in the first days of the detour as motorists were caught without good alternatives. Long snarls continued, especially during rush hours, throughout the summer.

An investigation quickly tied the shifting to an unauthorized, 55,000-ton stockpiling of dirt deposited alongside key bridge supports by a Wilmington contracting and hauling company. The mass of material compressed soft soils around deep foundation piles, damaging them and the bases of some concrete piers, throwing the spans off-balance.

Gov. Jack Markell called the highway a "vital economic link" and said the three-month repair timetable "is a testament to the hard work and dedication of so many individuals." He also expressed appreciation for public patience during the shutdown.

James Maravelias, president of the Delaware Building Construction Trades Council and business manager of Laborers Local 199, said the importance of I-495 to commerce justified the seven-day a week, around the clock schedule ordered up by DelDOT and its main contractor, J.D. Eckman.

"The inconvenience and what it's caused for the Port of Wilmington -- I don't know if anyone can say how much that will be," Maravelias said. "There are expenses that consumers had to pay because of traffic having to go around. I've heard people say that there have been more accidents on I-95 because of this."

Delaware Department of Transportation workers clear the road closure notice from an overhead sign on I-95 and the northbound split with I-495 on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2014, before the road was opened for the first time since June 2. The lanes were expected to open by Sept. 1.(Photo: John J. Jankowski Jr., The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal)

Federal officials quickly approved emergency aid for an up-to $40 million temporary and emergency repair plan, with U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx declaring the roadway closing "a national issue." He declared the work to be eligible for federal matching funds that will pay the majority of the cost.

Within days, Delaware's problem became the center of a national scramble to find specialized equipment and supplies. Long, cylindrical sections of steel reinforcement cage were diverted from a bridge project in New York to accelerate construction of beefy underground concrete columns, each 4 feet in diameter and more than 100 feet long.

The underground columns, formed in holes drilled in a matter of hours, allowed construction of new supports that enabled workers to right the bridge with hydraulic jacks, pushing at several hundred tons per square inch and easing the steel and concrete structures back into position.

Although repairs are winding down, assignment of blame and potential liability is only now ramping up.

DelDOT reported recently that its representatives have approached Keogh Contracting, the company identified as having dumped soil on privately owned land alongside the state's right-of-way and bridge supports, as well as Port Contractors, the company that leased the property from The DuPont Co.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control separately sent notices of violation this month to both DuPont and Alma Properties LLC, as owners of land where soils were piled without required stormwater runoff and erosion control permits.

A DuPont official said the company "strongly disagrees" with the natural resources department's assertions, and said the company never authorized use of its land for soil stockpiling.

DelDOT officials also said they were unaware of the soil piles and developing hazard, pointing out that the only roadway access to the damaged bridge foundations is along Wilmington's Christiana Avenue, a city-controlled and maintained road.

The revelation prompted highway officials to check every significant bridge around the state for unapproved storage of equipment or soils that could cause damage.

Bhatt said lessons are still being found in the experience, including one about hazards to structures like the 495 bridge that were built atop river sediments, dredge and industrial spoils that are relatively soft and that can mash down more easily than older and dense materials or rock.

"Obviously it was a national issue, just from a transportation perspective," Bhatt said. "I also think there were some valuable lessons learned just about compressible soils" and vulnerabilities they create around bridge structures.